[Rock Sweden]

I need advice, pointers and suggestions for a new subwoofer enclosure for my old truck (‘06 Tundra crew cab). The plan is to fiberglass the center console for a sealed down firing JL 10w1. I’ve decided on this because there is no good place to put a sub in this model truck. For the last 6ish years I’ve had a ported 8 in a box behind the drivers seat which makes the drivers side back seat unusable.
This is my 1st foray into fiberglass. So I have questions and am a bit apprehensive. I plan to apply sound deadening to the plastic and the fit for the sub is about 3/8” between the console wall and the sub basket but can be pushed out a bit for more clearance. Or I can trim the sub basket. How thick should the fiberglass be? How do I calculate the “vent” size to keep the sub efficient & not end up with some quasi band pass? At this point, everything is massage-able. I hope my pics make sense. Any help is appreciated.

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[NW JLUR]

I’d build a new console with the sides and top from mdf or bb if you can afford it. Fiberglass the bottom section, just leave enough clearance between the floor / sub, open to the front. You could incorporate cup holders and a small storage area in the top if you’ve got enough airspace.

 

[NW JLUR]

After looking at the pics I realized the console continues forward. You could vent out both sides of the console.

 

[NW JLUR]

JL Audio Stealth box
Expensive but fits under the console. You could try building a fiberglass box inside the console but it would be time consuming and pretty hard.

 

[LBaudio]

I would sand down the interior of this console and add wooden top and fiberglass it into that original piece. Apply Fiberglass to all the walls to beef them up to 1/4".Then add speaker baffle and glass it in. Leave some 2-3 inches of clearance from speaker baffle to the bottom of the car. You can also open a bit Left and right side of that console so the pressure wont build up in that area.

If going this way, before you start, check out options of how to secure that "enclosure" to the car, is it an option to use existing fixation points ...

 

[Rock Sweden]

JL Audio Stealth box
Expensive but fits under the console. You could try building a fiberglass box inside the console but it would be time consuming and pretty hard.

That's the ticket and it's not too expensive considering the cost of the sub. I'll try to convince myself this is the smart path of least resistance. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

 

[Rock Sweden]

I would sand down the interior of this console and add wooden top and fiberglass it into that original piece. Apply Fiberglass to all the walls to beef them up to 1/4".Then add speaker baffle and glass it in. Leave some 2-3 inches of clearance from speaker baffle to the bottom of the car. You can also open a bit Left and right side of that console so the pressure wont build up in that area.

If going this way, before you start, check out options of how to secure that "enclosure" to the car, is it an option to use existing fixation points ...

That's my "loose" plan. There are two mounting brackets that bolt the console to the trans hump. thanks for your reply.

 

[pwnt by pat]

I disagree with lb. I would line the console with 1/8 or thicker soft foam and fiberglass to fit that. It's more work but it'll help isolate the vibrations from the sub from the console and arm rest.

The more you can make out of wood, even 1/2" thick, the better.

 

[superhero]

I'm going to be doing something similar in my GMC Sierra. The JL Stealthbox is likely the best option but expensive and hard to find for my truck. I'm a sucker for punishment and looking forward to seeing you go first and make a custom box before I do! Thanks for the tips above from couple other members, any other tips? Only fiberglassing I did was my bilge area in my boat 5 years ago... it wasn't too bad except for the smell.

 

[Theslaking]

In all my Silverado's I just build a center console. It's not bad. I also don't think it would be horrible to put a piece of wood on the bottom of your console a few layers of resin and some braces

 

[Rock Sweden]

After much hem-hawing around I finally tried my hand at fiberglassing today. It was quite a learning experience but I “think” I figured it out. It took more resin than I expected (16-20oz) and I wasted parts of a couple of batches (4-5oz) because I didn’t work fast enough and/or I used too much hardener. How’d I do?

 

[pwnt by pat]

It's definitely a start. If it's gelling too quickly you're absolutely using too much mekp. Those white areas should be completely saturated and translucent. I find it helps to use a piece of chip board or cutting board to wet out and saturate the fiberglass on and then transfer that piece to the work piece. It helps to prevent using too much resin to soak in and too little resin to wet out.

 

[Eurobound]

how many layers did you end up doing? I was told 4 layers of 1.5 oz minimum (correct me if I'm wrong).

I joined a "makerspace" locally where you get access to tools and work space and the owner just happens to have done custom work for almost a decade (on some really nice cars as he showed me some pics), so I'm going to get some help that way. Kudo's for you for going for it.

How is the smell in the house? Anyone know if it will change the shape of the centre console making it difficult to reinstall later? Also, what's the best way to add the bottom MDF where sub is attached to?

 

[Rock Sweden]

how many layers did you end up doing? I was told 4 layers of 1.5 oz minimum (correct me if I'm wrong).

I joined a "makerspace" locally where you get access to tools and work space and the owner just happens to have done custom work for almost a decade (on some really nice cars as he showed me some pics), so I'm going to get some help that way. Kudo's for you for going for it.

How is the smell in the house? Anyone know if it will change the shape of the centre console making it difficult to reinstall later? Also, what's the best way to add the bottom MDF where sub is attached to?

Today was the 1st layer. I’m aiming for 4 layers. I have a separate shop so smell in the house isn’t an issue. My plan to attach the baffle is to screw and resin it in place unless somebody has a better suggestion.

 

[Rock Sweden]

It's definitely a start. If it's gelling too quickly you're absolutely using too much mekp. Those white areas should be completely saturated and translucent. I find it helps to use a piece of chip board or cutting board to wet out and saturate the fiberglass on and then transfer that piece to the work piece. It helps to prevent using too much resin to soak in and too little resin to wet out.

I tried to saturate the white areas but it wouldn’t stay down. I don’t have a fiberglass roller so figured they were air bubbles. Thanks for the chip board suggestion. I’ll try that on subsequent layers.

 

[SHAGGS]

Definitely looks dry. (not enough resin) A roller will help with bubbles, but short stippling brushes can do the job too.
What kind of mixing process are you using? The pump dispensers are the way too go.
They're relatively cheap and really take the guess work out.
A cheap HDPE cutting board from Walmart is a great way to pre-wet the pieces.
Also having them pre-torn/cut is a must, to cut down on application time.

 

[Rock Sweden]

Definitely looks dry. (not enough resin) A roller will help with bubbles, but short stippling brushes can do the job too.
What kind of mixing process are you using? The pump dispensers are the way too go.
They're relatively cheap and really take the guess work out.
A cheap HDPE cutting board from Walmart is a great way to pre-wet the pieces.
Also having them pre-torn/cut is a must, to cut down on application time.

In the last couple of layers, I've used more resin. I'll take a pic tonight. I'm using a scale and have settled on 7-8 drops of hardener per ounce of resin in 60-70 degree temps. That's been giving me enough time.
I tried pre-wetting but with torn mat, it almost comes apart and is quite messy. I definitely tear and cut before starting.
There are air bubbles in the layup and I've been wondering if I need to start over. Rollers are in the mail.